Potato-bug gatherer.



No. 644,I22. Patented Feb. 27, I900. M. BATEMAN 8|. W. ZIMMERMAN.

POTATO BUG GATHE-R'EB.

(Application filed May 3, 1898. Renewed July 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

' PATENT Erich.

iiiL'Es BATEMAN AND WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN, or LONE TREE, IOWA; SAID BATEMANASSIGNOR TO SAID ZIMMERMAN.

eoTATo-Buc GATHERERL swam-ms forming art of Letters Patent rid. 644,132,dated February 27, 1900. Application filed m 3,1898. Renewed July25,1899. Serial No. 725,096. (Nomodeh) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MILEs BATEMAN and WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN, citizens ofthe United States of America, and residents of Lone Tree, in the countyof Johnson and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Potato-BugHarvester, of which the following is a specification. I The object ofthis invention is to provide is improved means and mechanism forgathering from the tops of potato-plants those insects commonly andordinarily termed potato-bugs, and which if left upon the plants causedamage thereto of material importance to those engaged in the occupationof raising potatoes.

This invention consists in the combination of a truck or drag arrangedfor travel parallel with a row of plants, a receptacle mounted on saidtruck or drag, and a reel carried by the truck or drag and arranged forrotation in an orbit transversely of the line of advancement of thedevice in successive engagement with the plants of the row, which reelis so located as that its orbit intersects the vertical plane of thereceptacle on the truck or drag.

This invention consists, further, in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of 0 elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in ourclaims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a perspective showing the complete device in position for practicaluse. Fig. 5 2 is a perspective showing a modified form of the devicearranged for animal draft and manual actuation and guidance.

In the construction of the device as shown in Fig. 1 the numerals 1O 11designate curved side frames having horizontal body portions, upwardlyand forwardly extending front end portions, upwardly and rearwardlyextending rear portions, and handles fixed to and extending horizontallyfrom the rear end por- 5 tions. The side frames 10 11 preferably aremade of gas-pipe and carry a shaft or axle 12 in their forward ends,which axle is positioned transversely of and connects said forward endsof the side frames. A supporting-wheel the side frames.

lower ends to said side frames.

nected at its ends to the handles of the side frames 10 11 and is soshaped, of such length, and so arranged as to be passed over theshoulders and at the rear of the neck of the 5 5 man operating thedevice and suspend the side frames, conjunctively with the wheel 13,

free,'clear, and above the ground. Standards 15, 16, 17, and 18 arearranged in pairs at desired distances of separation and verti 6o callyrise from the horizontal portions of the side frames 10 11, beingconnected at their The standards 15 16 on the side frames 11 10,respectively, are connected at their upper ends by a bar 19, which barprojects laterally to the right of the standard 15 and has ajournalbearing on the extremity thereof. The standards 17 18,respectively, on the side frames 11 10 of the device are connected attheir upper ends by a bar 20, which bar extends lat erally to the rightof the standard 17 and has a journal-bearing in the extremity thereof inalinement with the j ournal-bearing on the extremity ofthe bar 19. Thestandards 15, 16, 17 and 18 and bars 19 20 preferably are made ofgas-pipe and connected with each other and with the side frames byordinary Ts and elbows. A reel-shaft 21 is mounted in thejournal-bearings on the extremities of the bars 19 20 and extends to therear of the bar 20. A reel 22 is mounted on the reel-shaft 21, and acrank 23 is mounted on the rear end of said reel-shaft and is sopositioned and located relative to the handles of the machine as readilyand conveniently to be engaged by the right hand of the man operatingthe machine in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The journal-bearings on the bars are located in such relations to theside frame 11 as that 0 the implement may be advanced along the side andto the left of a row of plants, as illusv trated, and the reel-shaft 21will be vertically above the said row of plants, and in the advancementof the machine and the manual rotation of the shaft 21 by means of thecrank 23 the reel will engage with the successive plants of the row, andin such movement will agitate, shake, and oscillate said plants to suchan extent as to remove therefrom the insects of the characterhereinbefore mentioned.

A receptacle 24 is mountedon the horizontal portions of the side frames10 11 between the pairs of standards and extends transversely thereof,with its right edge or side in close relation to the row of plants beingacted upon. The receptacle 24 is open at the top, and when the reel 22is operated to knock,

shake, or remove the insects from the plants said insects will fall orbe forced into the receptacle,wherefrom they may be removed anddestroyed as desired by the operator.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the wheel 13 is removed and a clevis25 substituted therefor, by means of which clevis attachment may be hadto the harness of a draftanimal for the purpose of advancing or drawingthe implement along the surface of the ground. In this form of devicerunners 26 27 are attached to the side frames 10 11 and theshoulder-strap 14 is removed from the handles, the weight of the devicebeing carried on the runners, which are guided in their forward movementby the application of manual force by the operator to the handles of thetending end portions having journal-bearings in the extremities thereofand the upwardly and rearwardly extending end portions having thehandles attached thereto or formed thereon, the receptacle mounted onand connecting the depressed central portions of the side frames, thestandards 15, 16, 17 and 18, also made of gas-pipe and rising from theside frames adjacent the corners of the receptacle, the barshorizontally mounted on and c0nmeeting the upper ends of the standardsand laterally extended from the standards 15 and 17, thejournal-bearings formed in the laterally-extending portions of the bars,a reelshaft mounted for rotation in the bearings on the bars, the crank0n the rear end of said shaft, the reel on the central portion of theshaft, and the supporting-wheel mounted between .the forward endportions of the side frames and journaled thereto.

2. The combination of side frames, a wheel intersecting the forward endsof said side frames, handles'on therear ends of saidside frames, areceptacle on the central portions of said side frames, standards risingfrom said side frames, bars on said standards, a shaft journaled in saidbars, a crank on said shaft, a reel on said shaft between the bars, anda shoulder-strap connected with and connecting said handles.

MILES BATEMAN. WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN. Witnesses:

JOHN W. JAYNE, A. N. KALB.

